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SMEs lack BCPs

A survey revealed small businesses are unprepared for interruption but intolerant when products are unavailable

Small and medium sized companies lack business continuity plans, according to a new survey.

The index revealed that only a third of managers of SMEs are taking steps to ensure that their business can continue to operate normally under any circumstances.

As consumers the SMEs are much less understanding when a product or service is unavailable. Less than 10 % of those surveyed would wait for a product to become available if they found it to be out of stock. More than 80 % would select another product or go to a different retailer.

Keith Tilley, managing director and executive vice president of SunGard, who conducted the survey, said: ‘It appears to be a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do' for small business managers.’

“Forty percent of SMEs in the UK would suffer total or severe impairment to business operations in the event of computer hardware failure.

Keith Tilley, executive vice president of SunGard Europe

He added: ‘Forty percent of SMEs in the UK would suffer total or severe impairment to business operations in the event of computer hardware failure; 45 % would suffer total or severe impairment to business operations following a power cut or a flood; and only 10 % would suffer no impairment and be able to function as normal in the event of a fire.’

Less than 10 % of SME managers surveyed had heard of BS 25999, the first British Standard for Business Continuity Management.

SunGard Availability Services has launched SafetyNet 24/7, a new range of services to support the needs of SMEs.